"No, no, I want to try it," I say quickly. I sit there quietly for a moment, my lip catching between my teeth as I listen to get moving. "So we'll be sleeping... together? In the same bed? With your single sock?"

I make a face at the tea before taking it with me into the sitting room. Placing it on the side table, I pause to take a bite of the little bit of toast left on my plate before putting it down and brushing the crumbs off of me. It isn't until I reach down to grab the sheets that I realize how nervous I am. Clenching my fists, I try to still the trembling as I shake out the sheets and lay them out neatly on the couch.

My tea's nearly cooled by the time I make my way back downstairs, taking the staircase nearest the keeping room as I hug my robe closed around myself. It feels odd, and honestly juvenile - Preparing myself to prance about in nothing but panties once I get down there. But, I remind myself, it was my own stupid bet that got me here.

Stepping into the keep, I finish what's left of my tea as I watch him sitting at the edge of the sofa, music playing on the still-running radio as he stares blankly through his own mug.

"Maybe," I respond as I force down another large gulp of the tea. Ugh, why does it burn? Grimacing, I reach forward to put the cup on the coffee table, my hand coming out to touch Ljuba's calf as I do. "I wanna see the sock."

"Oh, well this was a waste of time then," I scoff before grinning up at her, my hands smoothing up her leg as I bite my lip. I'm a teensy bit disappointed when my hand brushes the bottom of the robe, my eyebrow arching as I look up toward her face, my hands still slowly working their way up the inside of her thighs.

"You didn't cheat and choose the robe as your one article of clothing, did you?" I ask.

"No," I laugh, reaching down to catch his hands, "And I also recall saying you could only see this way if you got it first try... So..." I trail off, pushing his hands back to him gently before rising from the table.

"I might be amenable to changing my mind on that, though, with one condition." I offer, my hands holding the edges of the robe as I move to linger near the foot of the couch. Whatever cool I'd had before is almost gone, my chest feeling tight and skin flushed as nerves threaten to get the better of me.

"No sex," I say after a moment, watching him closely before continuing, "You can see how you will, but... What's on, stays on..."

"Then..." I shrug, pushing my robe off slowly as I sink to sit on the arm of the sofa, "We can do that.

"Look, Marn-" I say tensely, pulling the robe over my legs as I turn to face him better. "I really like you, I like getting to know you, and I don't want to fuck it up. And I am very prone to fucking things up, so I want to go slow. Not like teenagers at their first dance slow, I just don't want to rush into anything, you know...?"

"Wait," I can feel my heart skip at her words as I sit up straighter, the nervous tremble returning as I feel the heat rise up my neck. "Really? I mean... you really feel that way?"

I'm not sure how to describe how I feel just then; elated, relieved, nervous.

"So this is for real then?" I breathe, almost more to myself than to her. "It's not like normal, we're not just experimenting or fucking around because why not? We actually, genuinely... like one another?"

"No, no, it is!" I say quickly as I turn to face her, my back coming to rest against the arm of the couch as I laugh a little giddily. "It's just... I don't know, I've never had this before. It's always just been random hookups, some curious girl who wants to be able to say she's had a blind man, or some no strings attached arrangement where she didn't even know that I'm blind.

"Hell, I even heard Mel tell her friend that she was only with me for the sex and the money Richard was giving her," I can't help the deflated frown that comes over me after admitting that out loud. "I guess I'd just sort of stopped expecting it would ever be mutual."

Frowning, I sink into the corner of the couch opposite him, the robe bundled in my lap as I settle in.

"Forget about all of them," I say, "They don't even matter, and I don't want to sit around moping today. It's a good day, Marnin. We're in good health, good company." I smile as I scoot towards him slightly, "Fuck them, it's their loss."

"It's not a glove," I laugh, reaching out to catch his hand as I draw a leg up onto the sofa so I can face him. "Do you want me to just tell you, or..?" I trail off, my fingers pointedly pulling from his as I tuck my arms at my side, "Or just let you figure it out..?"